The unifying theme of television this week has been tears or more accurately how every show has made me cry for one reason or another including Mad Men and The Good Wife. Even Game of Thrones got me all misty eyed when Arya couldn’t bear to get rid of Needle and her last connection to home. It isn’t limited to TV either as I finished Cheryl Strayed’s Wild over the weekend and the end had me balling; it has been an emotional end/start to the week.
Enter Jane the Virgin and as this makes me cry on a regular basis it is more a case of what will cause the tear ducts to start working. The Villanueva women are generally at the center of my outpouring and their bond is unbreakable even during periods of conflict. For all the talk of love triangles (full disclosure – I lean towards Michael over Rafael) it is Team Jane or rather Team Villanueva that has my heart and all three women are embroiled in complicated matters of the heart. Jane is very much a high achiever; she’s read all the books and now she is focused on doing this by herself including making sure the baby is not a breech birth. It’s not like she can physically turn the baby around inside, but nor can anyone else and as she works her way through the methods a device of her own making seems like the perfect solution.
Except it isn’t and a small fire starts. Thankfully Alba is close by and puts it out before any real damage is done. Cue imminent devastation as Jane responds to this really fucking scary moment reasoning “I just needed to prove I can do it myself because I’m going to have to do things myself now. And I know you’re here but still there are some things I have to do on my own.” Jane’s voice starts to break and Gina Rodriguez does a really good job of showing Jane’s attempt to hold it together while also falling apart. Jane planned for everything, but she has been blindsided by the breakup and this is her attempt to retain some control.
Healing a broken heart is not easy and we’ve seen Jane crumpled against a wall. Rafael’s breakup plan was to tell Jane he didn’t love her (even though he does) using this finality to push her away and Jane explains to Xo that this is why she can move on. It is not that simple of course and Jane’s anguish as she explains why she didn’t ask for help with the moxa burning is part of her attempt to ignore the pain she is in. The baby is almost here and as much as you can count on Jane the Virgin to induce the misty eyes the plot is moving at breakneck speed. Jane doesn’t have time to cry over Rafael and in Chapter 20 she goes from wanting a healthy co-parenting relationship to making a huge declaration at the end which would shut him out entirely. As long as she has the help and support from her family, which she does.
Jane’s decision is not vindictive and this has nothing to do with the breakup (okay maybe there is a small part that is anger/breakup infused); instead it comes down to the presence of Petra (who I also adore) and Petra’s mother who pushed Alba down the stairs. Rafael is in the middle and little does he know his decision to focus on the hotel so he can leave a legacy to his child could leave him without access to said child. Fear causes us to do a whole range of things and while cutting Rafael out completely is an extreme reaction Jane is doing this to protect both the elder Villanueva and the one who is about to enter the world.
Chapter 20 hits multiple emotional moments moving from devastated teary to smiley teary when the baby moves and Jane offers up a celebration to her bump “Can I get a fist bump?” Jane the Virgin manages to be several things all at once including the ridiculously sublime as a wrestling match allows our antagonists to be pitted against each other with Petra and Jane getting to step inside the imaginary ring.
So-called ‘cat fights’ are boring, but the Petra/Jane disagreement is about much more than Rafael (even if Petra still harbors feelings for her ex) and in this instance they are motivated by family. Jane the Virgin is an all emotionally encompassing show with as much laughter as anguish; this is an impressive balancing act particularly as this has been present since the pilot and it has been sustained throughout.
Chance of Emma crying during the last two episodes: 100th percentile
Tags: Chapter 20, crying at TV shows, Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
One of the things I have discussed in the past regarding the costuming on Jane the Virgin is how the clothes worn by Jane are often from affordable stores rather than just a series of high end items. Of course she also wears some designer garments, but not everything Jane wears will cost you a month’s rent.
For more Wish List suggestions including Mindy’s star jumpsuit and Carol’s pattern clashing on The Last Man on Earth head here.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 